Channeling Brussels

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. It's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. In this episode, Teri talks to Poland's NATO ambassador Tomasz Szatkowski about allegations Moscow has been paying bounties to kill NATO soldiers in Afghanistan and he explains what Poland knows -- and doesn't -- about President Trump's plans to move U.S. troops out of Germany and possibly into Poland. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. It's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. This week the European Union is expected to approve the opening of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. In this episode, recorded in late February before COVID19 grounded travel, Teri was in Skopje where she spoke with North Macedonia's Vice President for European Affairs Bujar Osmani, who also headed up the delegation for negotiations with the European Union. At the time, it wasn't yet certain whether EU governments would unanimously approve opening the talks. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. In this episode, outgoing NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller addresses the position of the alliance on Turkey's incursion into northern Syria.

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. In this episode, Teri speaks with Sebastian Bay, senior expert at NATO's Strategic Communication Center of Excellence in Riga, about European governments' efforts to disable and discourage meddling in the European Parliament's elections May 23-26.

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. In this episode, Teri speaks with North Macedonia's Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska about the sacrifices and benefits of her country agreeing to the Prespa Accords with Greece, resolving 27 years of conflict that kept Skopje blocked from international organizations. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. In this episode, Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis tells Teri that while everyone is worried about the implications of the impending death of the INF Treaty, not enough attention is given to the dangers posed by the tactical nuclear weapons stationed permanently by Russia in nearby Kaliningrad. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. This episode's guest is Marietje Schaake, a member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands who is one of the most outspoken lawmakers on a whole host of issues. She's known for her strong views supporting human rights, internet freedom and cyber security to name just a few. But she's also the Vice Chair of the delegation for relations with the United States and this is a role she's focusing on intensively these days with what she considers a shocking decline in transatlantic ties -- beyond what she could ever have imagined. We also discuss how Europe -- and its politicians -- need to take more responsibility for not just security and defense, which is an age-old refrain, but also for engaging youth in the future of their society. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. This episode's guest is Bill Browder, the investment banker turned human rights activist who's been working for nine years to get laws passed all over the world honoring his friend Sergei Magnitsky. Magnitsky was Browder's tax lawyer, investigating a fraud case that he believed led to Russian officials, but he was killed in prison. The US, Canada, UK, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have all passed Magnitsky Acts putting sanctions on Russian officials who were linked to the murder. But the 28-member EU is so far unwilling to pass such a measure with Magnitsky's name on it. Browder says this is cowardly, alleging its done to avoid antagonizing the Kremlin, and he's continuing to push for its adoption. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. This episode's guest is one of the best-known personalities at NATO, Jamie Shea, who will retire in late September after 38 years with the Alliance. His career has spanned from administrative jobs to spokesman to his final post as the Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges. Shea explains one big challenge for NATO is keeping up not just with military threats but in the battlefield of ideas and information. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. This episode's guest is James Appathurai, a deputy assistant secretary general of NATO, who takes us behind the curtain at the alliance's summit July 11-12. Can the alliance avoid a G7-like catastrophe? Will transatlantic tensions over trade make NATO unity impossible? Appathurai gives a candid assessment of the state of NATO. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. In this episode, the deputy chief monitor of the OSCE's monitoring mission in Ukraine speaks to Teri just before a new ceasefire -- a "recommitment" to the ceasefire already agreed upon -- is due to go into effect between Ukraine's armed forces and Russian-backed separatists. Alexander Hug has been on the job four years, documenting not the peace agreement he was sent to monitor, but as many as a thousand violations of it every single day as the agreements are all but ignored by the parties. Still, Hug holds out hope for the "harvest ceasefire." Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. In this episode, former US Ambassador to the European Union Tony Gardner talks about soaring transatlantic trade tensions and urges the EU to stick together -- and stick up for itself in the face of Washington's pressure. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. In this episode, Teri travels to Iceland, which during the Cold War was a key lookout post for Soviet activity, especially submarine movements. A huge US presence at Keflavik airbase was reduced to almost nothing in 2006, but after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, Washington suddenly wanted to come back. She speaks with the Icelandic commander of the base, Capt Jon Gudnason, and Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, who says his country is getting more NATO attention now than "in many years." Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)] In this episode, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin talks about the threat he feels Russia poses for Europe, with the recent nerve-agent attack in Salisbury, England serving as a warning that the Russian government - which denies involvement - will stop at nothing to exert its will outside its borders.

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. This week's guest for International Women's Day is the European Council's Gender Equality Advisor Cristina Gallach. She discusses the impact of sexual harassment scandals that broke in the US but opened the floodgates in Brussels too. Gallach talks about her office's efforts to empower women to move up into management positions in European Union institutions where the balance is currently 30% women vs 70% men. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. This week's guest is NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, one of the pre-eminent American experts in dealing with nukes and Moscow. She says the Kremlin has long been breaching the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces agreement, the INF -- she was dispatched by President Barack Obama to tell the Russians that. Gottemoeller supports the Trump Administration's threat of "consequences" if a return to compliance is not found. Gottemoeller was also the chief negotiator on the "New START" arms control treaty that has just come into full implementation and which, she believes, can prevent a new arms race. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Channeling Brussels, hosted by journalist Teri Schultz, gets newsmakers, movers and shakers to lose the lingo, burst out of the Brussels bubble and have real conversations about the critical foreign and security policies shaping our world. it's the rest of the story, beyond the few seconds of soundbites that make it into the news. This week's guest is the US envoy for Ukraine negotiations, Kurt Volker, who's heading into his fourth meeting with Kremlin counterpart Vladislav Surkov on Friday, trying to find a way forward for the nearly four-year conflict in eastern Ukraine. Volker came to Brussels on his way to the Surkov rendez-vous in Dubai, to brief NATO and EU officials before visiting Kiev and the frontline in Donbas. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

This week's guest is Setara Hassan, the CEO of Zan TV, Afghanistan's first all-female television news station. Zan TV's managers, assignment editors, reporters and anchors are all women, covering issues other programs overlook or avoid. The interview was recorded at NATO headquarters during a recent meeting of the Afghan defense minister with his NATO counterparts. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/ )]

This episode, Channeling Brussels comes to you from Helsinki, Finland, where the first joint NATO-European Union Center of Excellence (CoE)has been set up to counter hybrid threats. Few places know how to handle hybrid threats better than a country with an 830-mile border with Russia. In this episode, Teri Schultz speaks with Hanna Smith, the CoE's Director of Strategic Planning and Responses, about how Finland plans to help partners with its deep understanding of its big neighbor and its preparedness for dealing with any threat to sovereignty and stability. Finland's special history, sometimes maligned in the past, is now being praised as a model. Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

This week, Channeling Brussels is looking at the aftermath of the German election September 24th...where the ruling coalition of Chancellor Angela Merkel lost a big chunk of support and a far-right newcomer seen as sympathetic to Nazi views gained enough to get seats in parliament, the first time such a group has reached the threshhold. While that's plenty upsetting to many people inside and outside Germany, my guest this week puts everything in perspective and says there's no calamity. Elmar Brok is the longest-serving member of the European Parliament, holding his seat since 1980. He's a member of Chancelllor Merkel's Christian Democratic party and has known her personally for decades. Brok has a lot to say about the relationship between Europe and the Trump Administration...the need for strong leadership in France so that Paris and Berlin can propel reform in Brussels...but we start with his belief that there's reason for concern but not for panic at the spike in support for the German far right. This week's Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

In this week's show is an interview with General Ben Hodges, the commander of U-S forces in Europe. I caught up with him after NATO exercises in the Baltics and Poland, called "Saber Strike", and just before he was headed off to oversee "Saber Guardian" in the Black Sea region. General Hodges and Teri Schultz discuss the upcoming Zapad military drills by Russia and Belarus, which don't give him much cause for concern because, he says, "we're always ready." He'd like to see more transparency from the Kremlin as to the actual number of troops being used. Moscow says it's just 13,000, right on the limit for being forced to invite close-up inspections of their drills. Hodges says "prove it". And he has concerns that don't rest on the Russians -- but on allies themselves. European governments keep laws in place that block the movement of allied military equipment across borders -- even when needed for protection. In this episode, Hodges explains why he's advocating a "military Schengen zone". This week's Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

For this episode Teri travels to Lithuania, where NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presides over the inauguration of NATO's new battlegroups amid the alliance's Saber Strike exercises. She interviews Stoltenberg and US General Neal Loidolt about the new mission along the eastern front and whether they expect a Russian intrusion. "Channeling Brussels" is sponsored by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Sir Peter Westmacott has been posted twice to Turkey and harbors deep personal affection for the country. He believes Turkey and the European Union have much to offer one another. But the direction President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking Turkey leads Westmacott to wonder if "Turkey's European Journey", the title of a new booklet he's just written, is about to hit a dead end. This week's Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

My guest this week is former Estonian President Toomas Ilves, who served in that post for a decade, from 2006 to 2016. Under his governance, the northernmost Baltic State adapted at warp-speed to the internet, becoming known as E-stonia...home to lots of hip startups, the first country to hold national elections with online voting, the first to offer "virtual residency" to foreigners. But this week marks another historic first for Estonia: It's been 10 years since what is now considered the first real act of cyberwar, often called "Web War 1", when Estonia's infrastructure was crippled for three weeks by an online attack. Estonia blamed Russia but was not able to pin down perpetrators linked to the Russian government. A pro-Kremlin youth group claimed the attacks. In the decade since the incident, NATO has gradually responded to the power of such weapons. Last year the alliance formally added "cyber" as a warfighting domain. The European Union has been much slower to sharpen its blades. Former President Ilves has some highly provocative observations about what he sees as the lack of attention being paid to fighting Russian interference in the European political space. Enjoy the show! This week's Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Our guest this week for a special Women's Day show is Ambassador Marriet Schuurman, NATO's special representative for "Women, Peace and Security", tasked with helping implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. The measure obligates UN member governments to elevate the concerns and well-being of women and children, to work to prevent violations of women's rights and gender-based violence, to increase the involvement of women in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction. This week's Channeling Brussels is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

Joining Teri this week is NATO Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, Sorin Ducaru. Just from his title you can tell Ambassador Ducaru has his hands more than full. With the threat landscape against the alliance changing constantly in unpredictable ways, many of them breaking new terrain in warfare, Ducaru and his staff have to be prescient and agile. At the meeting of NATO defense ministers last month, they approved what they call an "updated cyberdefense plan" and also moved forward with discussing how to practically establish "cyber" as the latest operational domain, which means of course, that cyberattacks could hypothetically warrant a declaration of Article 5. But Teri also wanted to draw him in on an incident that had just happened -- the attempt by some "unidentified party" to accuse German soldiers serving under NATO in Lithuania of raping a teenager. This type of thing really makes me angry because allegations of rape are nothing to dismiss out of hand -- or to fabricate -- but this was completely made-up to try to discredit the NATO battle group. It also falls under an "emerging security challenge" faced by NATO. Ducaru explains how the alliance is approaching all its new threats and adapting the mindset in some surprising ways. This week's "Channeling Brussels" is brought to you by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

In this episode of Channeling Brussels, Teri speaks to one of the most optimistic people she's ever met. He's the chairman of the Belgian chapter of "Republicans Overseas", an organization founded in 2013, not to be confused with "Republicans Abroad" nor officially tied to the Republican National Committee. Kulbickas was quite the fixture in Brussels before the U.S. presidential election as the only person openly representing the GOP at the various debates and events. Even Republicans weren't comfortable defending the platform of Donald Trump, Kulbickas told me. But he'd been a fan since the beginning of the Republican primary season and he felt Trump and his policies were being misrepresented in the European media. On the evening of November 8th, Kulbickas told Teri Donald Trump was going to win the election. He was right. Now Kulbickas tells Teri he believes the relationships between President Trump and Europe, and President Trump and NATO, could well end up being stronger during this administration than in any other. I'm watching. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

This episode’s guest is Ukraine’s acting chief of mission at NATO, Yehor Bozhok.  With the Trump inauguration looming and bringing with it huge uncertainty about the future US relationship with Russia, Bozhok maintains American support for Ukraine will be steadfast. The interview with Bozhok took place at NATO HQ just hours after Kiev filed suit against Russia at the International Court of Justice in the Hague with a range of allegations, including sponsorship of terrororism for its support to separatists in eastern Ukraine and responsibility for the shelling of villages in the disputed area, the downing of flight MH17 and the persecution of minorities in Crimea. "Channeling Brussels" is sponsored by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

This episode's guest is Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, who addresses speculation that Donald Trump's election makes it more likely the Kremlin will increase its meddling in Baltic affairs. Rinkevics says "everyone needs to calm down" but warns at the same time there are some real threats to European security if fundamental values aren't reinforced in the face of Russian geopolitical ambitions. "Channeling Brussels" is sponsored by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

This episode's guest is U.S. Ambassador Alexander "Sandy" Vershbow, who's just retired after a long State Dept. career and more than four years as NATO Deputy Secretary General. He discusses the dire state of relations between Russia and NATO, how perhaps the west should've suspected Putin would invade Crimea and why he changes his email password more these days. "Channeling Brussels" is sponsored by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (www.bensound.com/royalty-free-mus…rack/happy-rock/)]

This episode's guest is Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. "Channeling Brussels" is sponsored by the Atlantic Council. [Intro/Outro music "Happy Rock" by Bensound under a CC-BY-ND license (http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music/track/happy-rock/)]